First appearing in 1989 in a New Hampshire gymnasium, FIRST Robotics has exceeded its boarders and grown into an international tournament of technological skill and enterprise. Our founder, Dean Kamen, set out with a vision: “To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders.”, and has sense transmitted such ideals into his multi-cultural coalition. 
FIRST is ‘For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology’ and includes four fields of competition for various ages:
Welcome to Junior FIRST LEGO League
Grades K-3 (Ages 6-9)
Focused on building an interest in science and engineering in children ages 6-9, Junior FIRST® LEGO® League (Jr.FLL®) is a hands-on program designed to capture young children’s inherent curiosity and direct it toward discovering the possibilities of improving the world around them. Just like FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL®), this program features a real-world challenge, to be solved by research, critical thinking and imagination. Guided by adult coaches and the Jr. FLL Core Values, students work with LEGO elements and moving parts to build ideas and concepts and present them for review.
Team Members get to:
Design and build challenge solutions using LEGO elements
Apply real-world math and science concept
Research challenges facing today’s scientists
Learn team-building and presentation skills
Develop Show-Me poster
Welcome to FIRST LEGO League
Grades 4-8 (ages 9-16/9-14 in US AND Canada)
Design, build, and program a autonomous robot using LEGO Mindstorms.
Introduces younger students to real-world engineering challenges by building LEGO-based robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. FLL teams, guided by their imaginations and adult coaches, discover exciting career possibilities and, through the process, learn to make positive contributions to society.
Elementary and middle-school students get to:
Design, build, test and program robots using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technology
Apply real-world math and science concepts
Research challenges facing today’s scientists
Learn critical thinking, team-building and presentation skills
Participate in tournaments and celebrations
What FLL teams accomplish is nothing short of amazing. It’s fun. It’s exciting. And the skills they learn will last a lifetime.
Welcome to the FIRST Tech Challenge
Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18)
FTC is designed for those who want to compete head to head, using a sports model. Teams of up to 10 students are responsible for designing, building, and programming their robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams. The robot kit is reusable from year-to-year and is programmed using a variety of languages. Teams, including coaches, mentors and volunteers, are required to develop strategy and build robots based on sound engineering principles. Awards are given for the competition as for well as for community outreach, design, and other real-world accomplishments.
Students get to:
Design, build, and program robots
Apply real-world math and science concepts
Develop problem-solving, organizational, and team-building skills
Compete and cooperate in alliances and tournaments
Earn a place in the World Championship
Qualify for nearly $9.7 million in college scholarships
Welcome to the FIRST Robotics Competition
Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-19)
”The varsity Sport for the Mind,” FRC combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, teams of 25 students or more are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. It’s as close to “real-world engineering” as a student can get. Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team.
Students get to:
Learn from professional engineers
Build and compete with a robot of their own design
Learn and use sophisticated software and hardware
Compete and cooperate in alliances and tournaments
Earn a place in the World Championship
Qualify for nearly $14.8 million in college scholarships
There are also numerous opportunities for participants to earn scholarships including:
- Nearly $14 million in college scholarships
- 653 scholarship opportunities
- 142 scholarship providers
For more information please visit the FIRST Robotics website at: http://www.usfirst.org/